Tuesday, 11 June 2013

"The advisory board selected three pilot communities to test the knowledge
management strategy.

A community of sales associates shared tips and best practices for selling Microsoft
Network (MSN) contracts and complete solutions, along with products. This
pilot was conducted in two districts only, in order to compare sales performance
to other districts. The goal was to accelerate sales of this special offer.

Mobile Installation associates responsible for installing car audio equipment
formed a community. This was a nationwide pilot involving all mobile installation
bays. The goal was to reduce costly installation errors and increase customer
satisfaction by sharing experiential knowledge not contained in manuals and
making the technical manuals easily accessible online.

Members of the third pilot were personal computer (PC) technicians responsible
for in-store computer service. This was also a nationwide community, with the goal
of reducing repair costs.

"The results of the Microsoft Network pilot were compelling. Application use and
activity soared during the pilot period. Employees were contributing and using the
community knowledge, and more than 700 sales ideas were submitted by employees to the MSN and Complete Solutions community of practice.

Employee knowledge and selling behavior also changed. MSN secret shopper
survey results found that in a participating district, the number of associates offering
a MSN rebate to customers improved from 70 percent before the pilot to 100 percent
after pilot deployment.

Sales ﬁgures reﬂected the knowledge transfer and use. From pilot launch in mid
2000 through the end of the calendar year, the growth rate in the number of MSN
units sold per day per store outpaced the company average. In December 2000 one
pilot store outperformed the company average by 4.2 ISP units/store/day. Each ISP
contract sold contributed $55 to Best Buy’s gross margin.

"The Mobile Installation results were also impressive. Claims per unit declined,
as did damage claims, which added credence to the perception that employees were
using the knowledge of their peers to avoid costly mistakes.
Service center repair costs also declined, but it was less clear if this was a result of
the PC technician CoP activities, due to measurement problems and a restructuring
of the services organization to fold it into the retail reporting structure".

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My latest book

"This is the most comprehensive book I have ever read on the implementation of knowledge management. Whether you are just starting out or a seasoned professional, it is all here. Absolutely a first-rate reference." (Robert H Buckman, retired Chairman and CEO, Bulab Holdings, Inc)

Nick Milton

I am a director for Knoco, the international firm of knowledge management consultants, offering a range of knowledge management services, including knowledge management strategy, knowledge management framework development, and knowledge management implementation services.
I also have an interest in Lessons Learned